Michigan ‘digital age’ bills pulled after privacy concerns raised

(The Center Square) – Two Michigan bills pitched as “child safety legislation” were withdrawn this week after advocacy groups raised concerns about privacy and data collection.

House Bill 4429 and Senate Bill 284 – identical, bipartisan measures titled the Digital Age Assurance Act – were advancing through the state legislature until they were pulled by their sponsors.

That came following outreach from the Michigan Fair Elections Institute and other policy groups.

The bills would have required device manufacturers and operating systems to “estimate” a user’s age at activation and transmit a continuous “digital age signal” to apps and websites the user attempted to access.

Critics said the legislation lacked key privacy protections, including limits on data use, restrictions on combining data with other personal information and requirements for deletion....